


Three in the Morning

by anticyclone



Category: Cainsville - Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Getting Together, Multi, OT3, Past Lives, Threesome - F/M/M, Visions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 13:14:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5457743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anticyclone/pseuds/anticyclone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This almost happened for three people like them, once. They know because they saw it. And it can happen for them, now, if they'll let it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [empressearwig](https://archiveofourown.org/users/empressearwig/gifts).



Misting rain fell over Ricky's face, hands, and throat, the only parts of his skin left exposed by his clothing. It was six o'clock but dark enough that he could barely make out the water in the air, though anything touched by gaslight from the lamp posts looked slick. Few people were out at this time of night and he had the street to himself for the moment. He had walked forward half a block before the feel of cobblestones underneath his feet truly registered. That was … that was wrong.

Except it wasn't, because he'd been down this street a thousand times. He'd opened the door to this pub a thousand times. And he'd walked straight towards the figure in the corner a thousand times.

Hunched over a mug, even the line of Gabriel's shoulders was miserable. His blue coat was soaked black in spots, but he hadn't bothered to shrug it off. There was a puddle at the foot of the stool he perched on. As Ricky crossed the bar floor he struggled for something to say. He'd been so intent on getting here, finding Gabriel before the tide changed, that ten different conversations opened and died on his tongue before he was in arm's reach of the other man.

On impulse, and for lack of any better ideas, he ended up clapping his hands on Gabriel's shoulders by way of greeting. Gabriel immediately stiffened. Ricky dug his fingertips in a little harder instead of pulling back - that was less impulsive. Gabriel's shoulders were warm under his hands. "How many have you had?" he asked.

Gabriel exhaled, still tense. "Hello, Conner. Hello to you too, William. A fine evening we have here."

Ricky - William, of course, _William_ , laughed, ducked his head so for a brief moment his breath was hot against Gabriel's - against Conner's neck. The man smelled unsurprisingly of ale. William straightened and let his hands drop to his sides. "I'll guess your first. Will you forgive me if I pull you back onto the street this early into your meal?"

Now Conner twisted on his stool to make sure William could see his raised eyebrow. "They haven't even brought my food out yet."

"What would you say if I promise to buy you something later?"

"I would say, what about all the other meals and drinks you promised to buy me _later?"_ Conner asked, but he was leaning back, pushing himself off the stool. He picked a hat up off the bar and pulled it down so it flattened his dark hair. "Where are we going?" For just a moment, there was a familiar resigned smile on his face.

William wet his lips. "Just trust me."

They were both tall. They ate up most of the mile between them and the docks pretty quickly.

It was hard not to walk faster when the ships were in sight. William got close enough to read the names painted on the closest ones and was looking for Brianna's - he could remember the name, _Verity,_ but not the dock number. There was _Eliza,_ there was _Destiny,_ there was _Tomlin_... He'd started to think he'd brought them to the wrong end of the pier when he noticed there wasn't a _we_ to be had. He closed his hand around the air at his side like he might find Conner there, like the man's blue coat might have just faded from sight into the rain-soaked air. He glanced at the water, tried to read whether the waves had started to turn yet. He wasn't a sailor but he thought they still had time. Not a lot.

He had to retrace their way two blocks before he found Conner again. And then he had to pick up his pace to catch up, Conner's legs stretching that much longer when he'd heard William approaching. The narrow road and the storage buildings crowded around the docks echoed the sound of their footsteps back to them.

"What are you doing?" William asked, managing to get to Conner's side. He tried to get a look at Conner's face but the other man turned his chin up just enough to hide his expression.

"I'm not interested in watching whatever spectacle you were planning on making back there."

William deliberately knocked his shoulder against Conner's, but that didn't stop him from walking. He tapped one fist against his leg. It felt like the tide was pulling him backwards. They were too far for it to be real, but he thought he heard the slap of waves against wood. "I thought you were all for spectacles," he said.

Conner whipped around, turning so fast that William stumbled in an effort to keep himself from knocking the both of them down. He did bump into Conner's chest. "I'm not going to cry and call for her from the pier," he snapped.

He stepped forward and curled his fingers around Conner's upturned collar. Something his gut surged at the way Conner's pupils widened. "Brianna told me you didn't even say goodbye to her," he said, tone gentler than his grip. She had told him matter-of-factly, her eyes closed as they'd packed her luggage onto the _Verity_. It couldn't be real, but he could smell the salt in the air again here in the dark. "Here I was, thinking I could help you make up for being a _piece of shit-"_

He'd always known Conner was stronger than him. Conner could lift crates by himself, Conner could carry Brianna up three flights of stairs when she sprained her ankle, Conner could lift William up with one hand when William was too drunk to get himself off the floor.

"I know you're going to join her."

Conner could, apparently, also slam William so hard into a brick wall that he knocked the words right out of William's mouth.

"I know she left you behind to convince me to-" Conner's pale face flushed. He clenched the fabric of William's shirt harder in his hands. It made his collar go tight around William's throat. William wanted to know if Conner could feel his pulse thrumming in his neck. "I won't be _pitied._ "

William leaned his weight onto his heels, just enough to give him a quarter of an inch slack in his friend's grip, and his breath come more easily. "It's not _pity,_ Conner," he protested. "We lo-"

"Don't!" The rain had gotten both of their faces wet, but Conner's eyes looked red. He sucked water off of his lips and shook William slightly when he tried to repeat himself. "I swear to God, Will, for once in your life, shut your mouth."

Frustrated, William did. He clenched his jaw and waited, just to see what Conner would do. For a second the man looked off-balance. The rain - cold as ice - was beginning to pool at their feet. They'd stopped in a dip in the road, probably.

After a long moment with nothing but the sound of rain he bent his head forward and brushed the front of William's shirt. The touch made him flinch, enough to knock his hat to the ground with a splash. William slowly, gingerly reached up to curl his hand against the back of Conner's neck, and Conner -- Conner shoved him back, or at least as flat as he could get when he was already up against a brick wall. It didn't hurt but it wasn't exactly comfortable. William clenched his jaw and his hand found purchase on Conner's wrist.

"If we go now, if we run, we can still see her," he said. He had the uneasy sense that if he spoke above a whisper he might shatter something in Conner that they didn't have the time to mend. It felt like he could feel the tide pulsing in his legs. Time was spilling away. "If we go now, we can tell her you'll-"

Conner ducked his head again. His arm trembled in William's grip. The rain had increased and turned the cuff of Conner's shirtsleeve transparent against his skin. "Please don't ask this of me."

William pressed his thumb against the pulse in Conner's wrist. "We love-" he started, again. It felt like he could taste the ocean in his mouth. It felt like if he turned his head, he would see Brianna disappearing over the horizon.

"I can't - I can't be the person the two of you need me to be."

On the waterfront, the _Verity_ pushed away from the dock.

***

All three of them woke up at once.

Olivia sat straight up in bed. Ricky tried to stand up without actually picking himself off the mattress and banged his head against the end table instead.

Gabriel was off the couch, on his feet, and had his hand on the doorknob before Ricky completely processed that the man hadn't already been awake a second ago. He blinked once, twice, remembering Olivia warning him never to wake Gabriel up suddenly if it wasn't an emergency. What had... Before he could ask anybody if there had been an alarm or a crash, something that would've woken them all, Gabriel moved through the door and pulled it shut forcefully behind himself.

He and Olivia looked at each other. Ricky eased himself back onto the bed. The headboard felt reassuringly solid against his shoulders. He closed his eyes when Olivia gingerly touched a bump already forming on the side of his head. "Did I scream?" he guessed, leaning into her touch.

"I don't think so."

He smelled rain. The windows were shut, and the night was quiet. He shook himself, hoping it would chase the phantom scent off. "Did you scream?"

She made a face and leaned down to kiss him. He tilted his face up to kiss her back, even though it made the side of his head pulse and ache. It also made the bottom of his gut warm, which was more than worth a little pain. Especially because he was cold - he'd woken up with his feet frozen, like he'd been standing outside. He had started to smile when she pulled back. It fell when he saw how her mouth was twisted and her eyes were shadowed.

"Hey." He untangled an arm from the sheets and put his hand on her shoulder. If she had screamed, he didn't remember it, but the look on her face was unpleasantly familiar. He glanced at the door. Gabriel had shut it all the way behind him, and there was no light seeping in underneath, which meant the automatic porch light would've shut off by now. They weren't about to be interrupted by him suddenly reappearing from… wherever he'd gone off to. He ran his hand down Olivia's arm. "Nightmare?"

"Kind of." She hesitated, then drew her knees up to her chest. The movement made the blanket slide down off her legs. She was sleeping in just a long shirt and socks. "We're leaving this town tomorrow, right?"

Ricky paused with his hand on her wrist. His dream had been … _weird_ … but. "That bad?"

"It's just-" She stopped herself. Pressed her lips together. When she looked over at him her face was mostly hidden in shadow, and a knot started to build in Ricky's stomach.

He'd had some time to get used to the idea of magic existing. A while to adjust to the thought that he was, personally, a part of that world. It made sense in a way. He and Olivia had talked about it more than once - the new light he could view pieces of his life in. The way he felt when he was on the back of a bike or walking through the woods in the middle of the night. Those were the parts that he could hold in his hand, and those were the parts that made sense. The parts where Olivia ended up running, or cornered, or trapped somewhere? 

If he could cut those parts out of the world, he would.

"It wasn't a nightmare, exactly," Olivia said. She blew out a breath hard enough to shift her hair out of her face. Ricky inched closer, fitting their sides together. Olivia was burning hot through her shirt. "But I'm not sure I could call it a vision. It - I wasn't _in_ it."

"You aren't always."

"I didn't even feel like I was watching. I wasn't standing there while everyone ignored me because they couldn't see me. It felt like a movie."

It was too dark to see much detail in their rented room, but Ricky had reflexively started looking for… symbols. He wouldn't recognize them the way Olivia would. It was just that her visions never seemed to come on their own. There was always something riding along with them. But if the motel was secretly a Tylwyth Teg or Cwn Annwn rest stop, it was hidden enough that he couldn't spot it. He briefly regretted not trying harder to convince Gabriel that they could've slept in a field somewhere.

Even Olivia hadn't been able to argue her way past the look on Gabriel's face at the suggestion, though.

They were only in this town for a night. The three of them were trying to lay low after managing to shake a particularly persistent, shitty reporter thought he'd 'found' something on Gabriel. Gabriel hadn't wanted to leave, but when the reporter showed up at Ricky's door looking for Olivia, he'd agreed that they could at least spend a long weekend out of town. And Ricky was not going to take credit for either the idea or the accomplishment of getting Gabriel to both agree to leave and relinquish complete control of the wheel. He'd even let Ricky drive the last stretch, which he'd never done in the entire time Ricky had known the man.

"I'm hoping the movie was rated G," Ricky said, looking back at her. "But the way we woke up…" 

Olivia was frowning. She'd started tapping her fingers against her leg. "I didn't see any omens here. I don't know why…" She paused, and looked over at him without turning her head. "Wait. I was dreaming. What woke _you_ up?"

"I…" He hesitated, and ran a hand through his hair. Olivia kept looking at him. "I was going to say, I was dreaming about finding somebody, and Gabriel was there, except…"

"Except?"

"I remember what I saw. That wasn't Gabriel's face."

"Freckles?" she asked. Ricky opened his mouth to say _yes,_ and stopped when Olivia's question sunk in. She exhaled and leaned back, bumping her shoulders against the headboard. "I'm sorry," she said, and waved him off when he tried to speak. "I don't know - I haven't _seen_ anything - but somehow _you_ saw what _I_ saw when I was sleeping, and…"

Ricky bumped his shoulders against the headboard, too. He stared at the empty couch where Gabriel had curled up to go to sleep - a phrase he would never say out loud where Gabriel could overhear - while he and Olivia were still whispering to each other a few hours ago. "Don't be sorry," he said. "You can't control your visions."

She scowled and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "That doesn't mean it's okay."

"I didn't say that," he murmured. He touched her back and she stood up and started pacing, tracing a path between the bed and the couch. Ricky shook his head. "It wasn't like it hurt. It was just… weird. I think I woke up still smelling saltwater. What do you think we were watching?"

Olivia came to a halt at the foot of the bed but looked away from him. Her hands were loose at her sides. "It felt like one of my - one of our - not quite past lives. I mean. They're not us. But they fit the pattern."

"Except for the part where they weren't fighting over Brianna."

The corner of her mouth turned up, which made him smile back. He inched to the edge of the bed and let his feet hit the floor. "Maybe some of them weren't as bad as Gwynn and Arawn," she said. She ran one hand through her hair and looked at the clock. "It's been fifteen minutes. Am I overreacting if I call Gabriel to see when he's coming back?"

"No," Ricky said. Not that Gabriel wouldn't think so, but he wasn't going to tell Olivia not to do something if she was worried. He didn't think it was weird, but he didn't blame her for picking up her cell. He slipped off the bed and kissed her cheek, heading toward the bathroom. "You know, it's actually kind of cool that I've had one of these visions now," he said.

Snorting, Olivia raised her phone to her ear. "If you can call it-"

On the couch, Gabriel's phone rang.

Ricky stopped and stared at it. Olivia let it ring twice more before hanging up and walking to his side. He touched her wrist. "He just didn't think to take it with him. It's fine. He's probably sitting in the car, or took off to find something to eat." Gabriel would never eat from the vending machine they'd seen in the motel lobby but there had been a 24-hour diner a few miles away.

"Without his wallet or his keys?" Olivia asked, bending down to pick them up out of the coffee table nook where Gabriel had tucked them. She turned them over in her hands and looked at their suitcases, leaned up against the wall next to the door. "Or his shoes?"

Ricky blinked. Next to their suitcases were … three pairs of shoes.

"He couldn't have gone that far," he said.

"I'm more worried about getting him to come back."

***

Olivia walked with her hands in her pockets and told herself not to count her steps.

Next to her, Ricky was holding a flashlight he'd fished out of the back of the car. He swept it between their path at the side of the road and the woods bordering it. They'd looked in the immediate vicinity of the motel, and for a minute they'd debated driving to find him, but the street lamps in this area were so far and few between that she was more confident calling the place a rest stop than a town. There was too big a chance they'd miss Gabriel entirely if he had decided to go off the road. So they were walking. Olivia looked to their left, and Ricky watched the right.

It felt like a hundred pounds slipped off her shoulders when they finally spotted him. Ricky noticed him first, on the side of the road ahead, and started walking faster, pulling her with him. Gabriel was still in the white t-shirt he'd gone to sleep in, and dark sweatpants. He was walking even faster than they were.

Olivia took a breath and yelled, "Gabriel!"

He jerked around and took several steps backwards.

That was when her heartbeat really started to rise. She could see Gabriel getting startled enough to go out without his shoes. But she had expected to find him sitting on the hood of the car, gathering himself, or making a loop around the motel - patrolling the perimeter for threats. Not nearly a mile down the road walking barefoot in the grass and jumping at the sound of her voice. She squeezed Ricky's hand in hers, struggling to read Gabriel's face in the dark as they got closer. At least he didn't back away any further. 

Ricky squeezed her hand back. "What the hell, man?" he asked, slowing the two of them to a full stop.

Eyes scanning the road, the woods, anywhere but their faces, Gabriel pressed his lips together briefly. "There was no need to follow me."

Olivia breathed deep through her nose and handed him his shoes instead of throwing them at his face. He took them reluctantly, careful not to let his fingers brush hers. "I know you like to walk at night," she said. "But you should've said something before going this far. You didn't even bring your phone. What were we supposed to do, sit around until you came back? Go back to sleep?" She shook her head. "You know I couldn't do that."

He stared at his shoes instead of moving to put them on.

"Gabriel," Ricky said, sounding as irritated as she felt, "Say something."

"I woke up abruptly." Gabriel raised one shoulder in a small shrug. He still wasn't moving to put his shoes on. Olivia couldn't imagine how cold and roughed up his feet must have been. "I needed to clear my head and walking in a nearly deserted, rural town seemed at least as safe and my own neighborhood."

Ricky spread his hands out between them. "Oh yeah, I also like to cut my feet up on gravel in the middle of the night and make my friends chase after me in the pitch dark."

"There's no need to be facetious."

"Just come back with us, Gabriel," Olivia said, grabbing Ricky's arm. He'd stepped forward and Gabriel had squared his shoulders. The anxiety that had built up while they were walking had vanished, and without the adrenaline she was feeling shaky and frustrated. She really didn't want to stand out here for another minute longer than they had to. "And please put your shoes on. I know you're trying to figure out how to do it without looking undignified and you're not going to."

The snort Ricky gave made Gabriel tense up even more. Olivia let go of him and stepped forward, edging herself slightly in front of Ricky since they hadn't left her room to actually get between them. When Gabriel looked like he was going to backpedal again, she took a risk and grabbed the front of his shirt.

She only held on for a moment, long enough to say, _hey, stop it,_ but the aggravation and even the weariness dropped from Gabriel's face. His eyes went clear and he was suddenly so still she had to watch to confirm he wasn't holding his breath.

"You scared me," she whispered, looking up at him. The ground tugged at her feet, like water, and she swallowed around the memory of the vision that had surged up in her sleep. "You scared _us._ "

Ricky didn't protest.

The ground felt a little firmer. She'd started pacing again when he'd stepped off to react to her news about the vision-dream in private. Was he freaking out? _She'd_ been freaking out. Ricky hadn't even said anything and Gabriel had practically run out of the damn motel to get away from what they'd seen. And none of it would've happened if it wasn't for her.

The nearest streetlamp was far enough down that shadow hid Gabriel's eyes when he bent his head. "That wasn't my intention. Stepping out wasn't about you. I simply needed…" He hesitated, and placed his shoes on the ground. "I just needed fresh air."

"I don't know if you noticed," Ricky said, his voice quiet but firm, "but we left town because someone was chasing after you. You don't get to run off in the dark for fresh air."

Gabriel's eyes widened a sliver, enough that he suddenly looked distressed. "I already - I thought I explained," he fumbled, making Olivia's heart ache in her chest, "that I never meant to imply to the man that he would be able to find me at your apartment. I never meant to acknowledge his questions about the Saints at all, let alone lead to a situation where you were forced to-"

"Damn it, Gabriel, that's not what I meant," Ricky muttered. He stepped forward, closing the distance between the two of them. "Are you going to be okay if I touch you?"

Olivia jerked her head up. Gabriel had gone still again.

"The last time I touched you without warning you, you flinched," Ricky said, slowly. Olivia stared at him, but his eyes were fixed on Gabriel's, and he didn't look down at her. Now she desperately wished she'd asked more about all the time Ricky and Gabriel had known each other before she'd met either one of them. "I'm trying to warn you now."

Slowly, Gabriel inhaled. When he let the breath out, his shoulders had relaxed a fraction. "I hadn't been expecting a client to hit me on the back like that."

"It was affectionate. We were celebrating. And I was maybe a little drunk." Ricky waited, but when Gabriel didn't react, he lifted his hand and curled it around the back of Gabriel's neck. Then he bumped their foreheads together. Olivia bit her lower lip. "I'm telling you we were worried and you can't pull that shit again. Got it?"

It wouldn't surprise Olivia if Gabriel said he'd counted to ten before letting himself pull back from Ricky's grip. Ricky let him go. Gabriel nodded once. "I should have said something before I left," he murmured. He glanced up at Olivia and back at the ground. "I apologize."

"Thank you."

It wasn't _not_ awkward, but Gabriel managed to put his shoes on without losing his dignity. Shocker. The part of her that wanted to tease him about smoothing out his t-shirt afterward was too tired to actually say anything, though. It might have been her imagination but it seemed like his face had gotten a little pink. He always looked younger to her, more vulnerable, when he'd first woken up or when he was in casual clothing. She was still trying to process him dropping his shield enough to let Ricky practically hug him.

It was a relief to turn around and start walking again. She looped one arm through Ricky's and the other through Gabriel's when he matched his pace with theirs. Aside from the fact that her exhaustion was starting to catch up with her, and it was cold, and it was like two o'clock in the morning, it was almost nice.

A minute passed, and she said, "You know that wasn't just a dream."

"I suspected as much."

Of course he did. "Did you also suspect that I saw it, too?" she asked, glancing up at him.

His face creased. "I had enough time to realize the two of you had been asleep when I woke up. So, yes, that does make sense."

Waiting for him to add anything about the content of the vision proved useless when they'd gone another couple of minutes without anyone saying anything. If her hands had been free, Olivia would have buried her face in them. Gabriel had - not changed, exactly. He was still reluctant to be open, more comfortable when no one tried to label his relationships with them as anything other than _I know them_. But he was more comfortable with her, and with Ricky, and with both of them than he had been months ago.

Once she'd assumed he would never change. She'd needed to assume that for her own well-being. And a few minutes ago Ricky had called them Gabriel's friends, and Gabriel hadn't protested. He hadn't agreed, either, but he hadn't fought it. 

Olivia didn't think he was becoming a different person, or anything. Just that maybe, he was starting to let himself admit that he might actually care about people.

She wanted to say this before they got back to the motel. It was more than a little risk. But her heart was still heavy in her chest, and the night was dark and cold and _enormous_ , and, well. She felt like they'd still been linked together for a second when they'd woken up. It'd been long enough.

"You know we love you, then."

Both Gabriel and Ricky stared at her.

She kept her eyes on the horizon in front of them. If she didn't stop walking, they wouldn't either. "I know you don't like saying things like that," she said. "I'm not expecting you to say anything back. You do this thing, where you feel like you can do dangerous shit because it's not going to affect us. Ricky told you it does. I'm telling you why it does."

They walked. It was easier if she didn't look at either of them, though the longer neither of them pulled away from her, the better she felt. It almost hurt to see the motel appear in front of them. Part of her wanted to push it away so they could keep walking. 

Which wasn't fair, because she'd been telling the truth when she said she wasn't expecting Gabriel to say anything back. Still. It would have been nice to hear it anyway.

The porch light clicked on automatically when they stepped up in front of their room. Gabriel untangled his arm from hers so she could pull the key out of her pocket. Exhaustion tugged at her fingers, and she half-closed her eyes while she unlocked the door. Stepping into the warmth of the room made her yawn. If they could just go back to sleep without anything else happening, maybe they'd get out of this in one piece…

"I think perhaps the three of us sleeping in one room triggered the vision," Gabriel said, standing in the doorway. "Combined with the … stress of leaving town, it could have suggested some kind of link. I could ask Rose about it in the morning. She may have an idea."

Olivia snorted. Still trying to give them an out they didn't want. "You're not sleeping in the car. Shut the door, it's cold."


	2. Chapter 2

Gabriel opened his mouth. 

"You're not going to rent another room, either. We can handle a little dreaming." Ricky fell onto the bed, stretching hard enough to make his shirt creep up and reveal a sliver of stomach. He didn't bother to pull it back down.

Sighing softly enough that Ricky barely caught it, Gabriel stepped through the door and locked it behind him. "I simply thought it would be best to share the theory. There's no reason to subject ourselves to unwanted visions if we have a way to prevent them."

Next to the bed, Olivia shimmied out of her jeans, her shirt keeping everything from the middle of her thighs down hidden. Gabriel still turned on his heel so fast to put his back to them that Ricky almost laughed. He fiddled with the blanket he'd left on the couch while Olivia crawled back into the bed, flopping down against the pillows and staring up at the ceiling. Ricky took her hand and lifted it to kiss her palm.

"It wasn't that bad, Gabriel," she said, still looking up. She wiggled her fingers when Ricky kissed her wrist. "Besides, it felt like we saw the important part."

"You mean the part where they fucked up," Ricky drawled. She laughed, covering her face with her free hand.

The couch groaned when Gabriel dropped down onto it. Ricky lifted his head off the pillow to see him sitting there with the blanket held tight in his hands. He didn't look at them, but when Olivia turned her head in his direction too, he sat up a little straighter. "Have you considered what someone might see of us?"

Olivia propped herself up on her elbows. "We're not going to fuck up, Gabriel."

"Olivia, from what we've seen, you don't need to worry much."

"Well, _I'm_ not planning on fucking up," Ricky said. The phrase was getting a little absurd, but so was the conversation. He reluctantly sat back up and spread his hands out. "I thought we all agreed we're not those people. Didn't we just tell you we love you? What're you worried about?"

They got a thin smile in return. "I do not have a wonderful track record with people telling me they care about me," he murmured.

Part of Ricky wanted to get off the bed and shake him. He was too scared to say _love_ back? It wouldn't have been Ricky's first choice, either, but he could still say it. He hadn't been too upset about Gabriel walking off like that - but finding him that shaken up had actually worried him. After what Olivia had said to him, he'd been hoping Gabriel would shake off whatever mood he was in tonight. Clearly that wasn't going to happen.

"Unless you're planning on something, don't worry about it," Olivia said, after a moment. She glanced up at Ricky and then patted the space next to her on the mattress. "C'mere."

The bitter look fell from Gabriel's face, and he just stared at them, bewildered. Ricky laughed to himself. The moments where Gabriel actually looked his age, their age, were few and far between. Most of the time he carried himself so sternly that he seemed to walk a step apart. Right then he just looked baffled. "Olivia," he said, trailing off.

Olivia pointed at the edge of the mattress. "Come. Here."

"That was kind of hot," Ricky whispered to her. She was inching closer to him and nudging him to the far side of the bed, or as far as he could get without falling off. She just smirked at him. 

Gabriel did walk over, apparently to prove them wrong, from the way he looked at the space Olivia had left for him. "I am not going to fit there."

"That's what she said."

Olivia let out a shriek of a laugh, falling back against the pillows. Ricky grinned at both of them, satisfied, feeling a little of her giddiness wash over him. It was God knew what hour of the morning, they'd driven for hours today, and he hadn't slept well in days, not since the reporter started stalking Gabriel all over town. He shrugged at the man's startled look. "Sorry. You set yourself up."

"If you see there isn't enough room," Gabriel said, acting like his face hadn't turned pink, which was also kind of satisfying, "will both of you be quiet?"

"We'll try," Ricky said. Olivia was still laughing: tired, slowly fading giggles.

Gabriel clenched his jaw and lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. Olivia started to say that he wasn't even trying and he silenced her with a glare, seeming to size up the space before bringing one leg up and resting about half his head on the pile of pillows at the headboard. "See?" he asked, gesturing to himself.

"I can't believe you actually did it," Olivia said. She sat up again, and Gabriel started to do the same. Then she rolled over him and nudged him into the center of the mattress. Gabriel looked too confused to stop her - and she only stopped when he was pressed up against Ricky's side. Then she laid down on her side in the space that was left and smiled smugly. "See. We fit."

Gabriel looked at Ricky. He felt a lot hotter than someone who'd spent a good half hour outside should have. It wasn't unpleasant. "She's not wrong," he said. He wasn't going to move unless Gabriel was.

"I am going to go back to the couch and go to sleep now," Gabriel said, slowly.

He sat up, and Ricky reflexively reached over to plant a hand flat against his chest. Gabriel faltered. That confused expression crept back onto his face when Olivia put out her hand to cover Ricky's. They both held him there like that, all of them suddenly quiet, until Gabriel laid back down. 

Olivia put her head on Gabriel's shoulder. "You can stay," she said, watching Ricky's face. He knew that look.

He'd been responsible for that look a few times. He inhaled slowly, breathing Gabriel in - he didn't smell like ale, just heat and the trees they'd walked past - and thinking furiously. Gabriel was looking at the ceiling, blissfully unaware that Olivia was asking Ricky anything at all. 

Very slowly, he craned his head up to kiss the line of Gabriel's jaw.

When Ricky thought about them later, the next few minutes blurred in his head. Someone said something about it. They had to have, because Gabriel answered, even the second and third times they asked him, Olivia nuzzling his neck while Ricky watched. Then there was Olivia's shirt, on the floor, and her fingers hooked around the waist of Gabriel's sweatpants and boxers. There were his own clothes tossed to the carpet. And then Olivia was kissing him across Gabriel, and he had his hand on Gabriel's hip, Olivia's leg pressed against both of them.

The bed really didn't have enough room, but damn if he was going to admit that to Gabriel _now._

"Gabriel, I'm going to slip my hand under your shirt now," Ricky murmured. He'd hooked his thumb under the hem of Gabriel's loose t-shirt, but Gabriel was still holding himself stiffly enough that he was reluctant to just start pulling the man's clothes off.

The look Gabriel shot him was pure irritation. "I am not made of glass."

For a second Ricky let himself be irritated right back. Gabriel had one knee half-drawn up so it was bumping his hip, not comfortably, and Ricky had his arm stretched a little too far to the side to really support his weight like this. Olivia was squished up against Gabriel's side and had her face buried in his hair, so Ricky couldn't even see her expression. The way the mattress was dipping underneath them, she might go tumbling off to the floor at any second. The bed just wasn't big enough. And Gabriel was acting - Ricky shut his eyes, inhaled, mentally took a step back.

"Okay," he said, moving his hand up. He pressed his palm flush against Gabriel's skin at the small of his back. Gabriel's pupils dilated a little and Ricky leaned in slightly. It took some of the tension off his arm, anyway. He kissed the corner of Gabriel's mouth and said, "I just thought you might be more comfortable if I said something first."

"I have done this before," Gabriel replied, quietly.

It was an announcement which completely derailed Ricky's train of thought for a good heartbeat - he was nearly reflexively picturing Gabriel splayed out for another couple (on a much roomier bed, because if he was going to dream, he'd dream big) and couldn't stop, and, _fuck,_ they didn't have the space to do what he suddenly wanted to do to him. A tiny squeak came out of Olivia's throat, too, and she pressed herself forward a little more, her hand coming up to rest on Gabriel's chest.

He flushed red in the low light. "I meant that I am not entirely inexperienced. You don't have to - I am not fragile. You can't break me."

"Okay," Ricky said again. Gabriel had put a little emphasis on the word _break_. Ricky wondered if he'd been talking to himself there. 

But if Gabriel wanted to be taken at his word, Ricky could do that.

***

When Ricky pulled at the bottom of Gabriel's shirt and told him to lift his shoulders up, Olivia reluctantly pried herself back to give them space. Her skin had gotten hot against his and the air in the room felt cold without Gabriel there. Although she could deal with that for a good look at Gabriel shirtless. Well, naked. Yes, definitely naked. She couldn't stop herself from running her thumb over one of his nipples while Ricky tossed his shirt to the side. Or from grinning when Gabriel shuddered.

They did have to maneuver a bit to make this work. Ricky couldn't really reach her from the other side of the bed, not with someone in the middle. He ended up nudging Gabriel's knees apart with one leg and straddling him, hands planted on the bed at his shoulders. Olivia felt herself start to pulse. It was easy enough to kiss them both, from there, and when she pulled back after Ricky bit her lower lip, Gabriel was staring up at them with wide eyes.

There was no use being subtle. She hooked one of her legs over one of his, careful not to dislodge Ricky. That put his thigh between her legs and, oh. He swallowed when she rocked against him slightly. It was like shooting down the highway on the back of Ricky's bike.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ricky asked, grinning at her.

She made a face at him, but opened her mouth when he leaned over to kiss her. When he leaned back she tilted her head to one side. "I think you are," she said, making him laugh. Gabriel let out a sound that was probably amusement, too, and then Ricky had his mouth on Gabriel's, and Olivia was biting her lip because that was something to look at.

When they broke apart she'd sat up slightly and when Gabriel turned his head to kiss her breast, she let her eyes close. She wanted to see his face, but he was running his tongue over one of her nipples, and she couldn't concentrate. She did notice Gabriel hiss against her skin when Ricky reached between them to stroke his cock, though. That was enough to make her open her eyes again - this she had to watch.

Gabriel had spread his thighs slightly so Ricky could lean himself into the space between his legs. Their cocks were both hard and Olivia had an absurd impulse to wrap her hand around both of them - if she could manage it - and Gabriel was already rocking his hips up. Barely. Voice soft, he said, "I don't know what you want."

"What I _want_ is to fuck you into the mattress," Ricky muttered, nuzzling Gabriel's throat as his breath caught and stuttered. Olivia felt her heart jump to her throat. "But we'd have to make Olivia move and that'd be rude."

"Very," she agreed, swallowing audibly. She filed away that mental image for later.

"I'm _really_ good with what you're doing right now," Ricky told him, his own breath coming a little quicker. "Just - keep doing that."

Gabriel glanced over at her then, and she made herself look up from where he'd started to thrust his hips harder up towards Ricky. His eyes were as far from cold as she'd ever seen them. He nearly shut them when Ricky started sucking at his pulse. "Olivia-" he started.

"I know exactly what I want." She grinned at him when he laughed, startled.

"Why am I not surprised?" he asked. The laugh faded and he was simply smiling at her. Olivia snatched that moment and painted it in her mind. She didn't want to lose this smile. "I suppose you plan on showing me what it is that you've decided on," Gabriel murmured.

Olivia smiled back. "You're pretty smart, you know."

"I'm pleased that you've noticed."

Ricky groaned softly. "Would you just kiss him already?"

"Since you asked," she said, shifting so she could plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth first. He smirked at her again for her trouble. He smelled pleasantly of heat and pine and she wasn't able to resist kissing him again, biting at his lower lip a little. Gabriel inhaled sharply underneath them. That made her want to make out with Ricky until one of them came - either from watching, or being kissed. She was deeply curious about who would come first.

But she'd promised him she'd kiss Gabriel, and who was she not to keep a promise?

She broke away and bent forward to close her mouth over Gabriel's. He left his lips parted and she felt herself make a rough noise when she dipped her tongue into his mouth. Maybe she was pushing a little hard, because Gabriel's shoulders had slipped down the pillows they'd piled up, but he was flat enough now that she could angle herself on top of him, her shoulder pressed flat against Ricky's, and for a dizzying moment she was kissing into Gabriel's mouth and feeling every thrust Ricky was making down against his hips.

When she touched the back of Gabriel's hand, that was enough. He had to wriggle to get his arm angled right but then his fingers were stroking her, slowly. She pulled back for breath and there was a brief second when Gabriel looked a little awed. But she didn't have time to tease him for being surprised that she was already wet because she had to shut her eyes. He dipped two fingers forward and, oh, the arm she was using to prop herself up nearly buckled. Gabriel had big hands, and big hands meant long fingers, and, just, _oh._

Ricky smirked at them, his head turned just far enough to watch their expressions changing. He kissed Gabriel's jaw. "She likes it when-"

"Cheating!" Olivia said. Gabriel was testing out the speed to start thrusting into her with his fingers and she really, really wanted him to figure out how to speed up on his own, because watching him start to suck on his lower lip was making it hard not to just start rocking herself onto his hand.

Ricky laughed. "Okay, okay. No assists."

"I told you," Gabriel said, lifting his chin. "I have done this before. I think I can figure it out."

"Very. Smart," Olivia breathed, letting her eyes flutter shut for a second. Gabriel had spread his fingers slightly inside her and was twisting his wrist a little and, oh.

She drew her free hand up to cover one of her breasts. Her elbow bumped into Ricky's chest but it was worth it to rub her thumb across her nipple at the same time Gabriel pressed the heel of his palm against her clit. It sent a shock through her strong enough that she arched her back. She pushed herself down harder onto his hand and he spread his fingers wider with his next thrust. She made a hoarse noise.

Ricky leaned over and stage-whispered in her ear, "I guess he is pretty smart."

Their hips fitted together for a minute, which itself made sparks go off all over Olivia's body, but then Gabriel moved his thumb in a swirl over her and she had to bend down and lean against him so she could take his face in both hands and kiss him hard enough to make their teeth click. When she came she had her fingers tangled up in his hair.

Then she slumped down on the edged of the mattress, one leg underneath his. She was shaking a little and didn't want to let him go. He'd gotten shoved flat against the bed by then. Olivia twisted her head so she could peer over Gabriel's chest and watch Ricky … well, he was watching them, and the smirk was gone. Even in the dim light she could tell his pupils had gotten big.

***

Gabriel was trembling. It wasn't a sensation he was used to.

His hand was wet and hot and sandwiched between his and Olivia's leg. She was the one who'd just collapsed, spent, against the mattress, and he was the one who was trembling. His breath had been uneven since Ricky had said - since he'd declared - Gabriel flushed just thinking about it. There was a twist low in his gut and he wasn't entirely sure if it was gratitude that they did not, in fact, have room to do right at this moment what Ricky had said he'd wanted to do, or if it was anticipation for a time when they might in the future.

He'd lost count of how many times he'd felt his face grow hot since they'd gotten into this bed together. The worst thing about it was that Ricky noticed every single instance. Gabriel was positive about this because every time, Ricky looked like it was the most amusing thing he'd ever seen.

No, that wasn't right. Neither of them had laughed at him once tonight. The look on Ricky's face was unfamiliar because… Gabriel inhaled and let himself stroke Olivia's thigh. She made a pleased, satisfied sound in his ear. Satisfied. That was what Ricky looked like every time he or Olivia had made Gabriel flush tonight.

And he still felt like he was shaking, anyway. If every second wasn't bringing a new sensation with it he was fairly certain he would be deeply embarrassed about it. He had no logical reason to be anxious.

"Hey." Ricky's hand suddenly stroked the length of Gabriel's cock. It jerked his attention back to the moment. "Don't wander off on me," Ricky murmured.

"It would be difficult to do so with you doing - _that,_ " Gabriel said.

If he focused very hard on each word as he said them, his voice sounded completely normal. Not at all like Ricky had his thumb running over the head of Gabriel's cock. Not at all like he was casually smearing Gabriel's precum over his shaft to make it easier to stroke him.

Olivia stretched at his side. "I could watch you do that all night," she said. Gabriel just barely refrained from shuddering.

Ricky laughed. He let go of Gabriel to reach over and squeeze Olivia's hip. "Take a picture," he said. "You might be having fun but I don't think either of us is going to last much longer."

"We could…" Gabriel took a breath to center himself. The mattress was feeling more solid now that the number of things going on at once around him was narrowing down. "We could slow down," he suggested. "If you do want to keep watching."

That seemed to make Olivia's eyes glitter, but Ricky just groaned. "Not right now," he said, firmly.

"Oh," Gabriel murmured. He supposed he couldn't blame Ricky for feeling satisfied earlier. It was… It was a good feeling.

Olivia kissed his temple. "That means _yes,_ later," she whispered.

"Gabriel," Ricky cut in. He curled a hand over Gabriel's hip and Gabriel lifted one hand to settle over his, managing not to show his hesitation in the movement. He was rewarded with Ricky inhaling deeply. "Gabriel," he said, again, quieter.

"Are you going to ask me something?" Gabriel asked, when Ricky had been quiet for a moment to stare at their hands together at his hip. That was a good feeling, too.

The corner of Ricky's mouth twitched. "Yeah." He paused, then murmured, "Spread your legs a little for me."

That wasn't what Gabriel was used to being asked to do, but he obliged. Ricky nodded just slightly and moved his weight so that when he thrust, it was down between Gabriel's legs. Gabriel's stomach went hot. Olivia lazily reached over and started stroking one of his nipples again, and like before, he felt something in his chest rising. He had his eyes closed when Ricky dug his fingers suddenly into his hip and sped up his thrusting.

Ricky came, messy and hot all over Gabriel's thighs. Gabriel lifted his hips up then, asking silently, but instead of giving him friction, pushing him over the edge, Ricky stopped to lean down and kiss him. It was maybe the most frustrating kiss he'd ever had. It felt like he was strung out over a ledge and could move over it if he could just _move,_ but Ricky still had his hand firmly planted on Gabriel's hip, and Gabriel didn't have the strength to force himself up if it meant breaking away from the way Ricky was sliding his tongue against Gabriel's.

"Time for you to tell us what you want," Olivia said, when Ricky ended the kiss, his mouth wet. Ricky barely moved back, so when Gabriel managed to get his words together, it was easy enough for him to lean down and suck at Gabriel's pulse again.

Two hands on his cock, strokes slow and satisfied, and Gabriel bit his tongue when he came.

***

In the morning he climbed into the back of the car.

Ricky shoved the trunk shut and walked around to the still-open passenger door. "You don't want to drive?" he asked.

Gabriel was already unzipping his laptop bag. They had only gotten about four hours of sleep, after everything was finished, so he had a disposable styrofoam cup of terrible instant coffee in the cup holder next to him. He was careful not to knock it over as he opened his computer. "I have things to catch up on. Olivia said she wanted to spend tonight in the nearest city, which is two hours from here. That's enough time to do a little work."

"Does that mean I get to drive again?"

"If Olivia will give you the keys," Gabriel drawled.

Olivia, walking up to them from the direction of the motel lobby, laughed. "Not a chance."

Sighing, Ricky leaned in and kissed Gabriel on the temple. Gabriel paused. His computer was still starting up, anyway. He raised his head to kiss Ricky back, and when Ricky pulled away, he was smiling. "If I sit in the back seat while Olivia drives, are you going to ignore me to work?"

"Yes."

Ricky rolled his eyes and shut the passenger door. "Takes all the fun out of even calling shotgun," he protested, catching Olivia for a kiss before she got into the driver's seat.

They had two days before they needed to be back in town. That was two days to figure out how to handle this. He had the feeling neither of them were considering it, but Ricky _was_ his client, and Gabriel wouldn't be the kind of lawyer he was if that fact wasn't in his head. That wasn't going to make him pull back, but it was going to require some gymnastics to keep his work with the Saints as smooth as possible.

His typing was the only sound in the car for about a quarter of a mile before the radio came on. Ricky and Olivia fiddled with the stations until they found something they liked, and Gabriel worked. He sipped his terrible instant coffee and took up as much leg room as he needed. He let himself focus on the voices in the front seats when he wanted to.

And he was comfortable.

As they pulled onto the highway Olivia announced, "I'm stopping for a mocha at the first real coffee shop the GPS spots."

"Good. I'd like to use the wifi when you do."

"Laptops in the back seat only, Gabriel."


End file.
